“CRAZY, absolutely crazy”, was Matt Carter’s immediate response to sealing back-to-back Maryborough Gift titles on New Year’s Day.

Carter became the second runner in the race’s 120-year history to have completed the rare double — Melbourne’s Cameron MacKenzie was the first with consecutive wins in 1997 and 1998.

Just like his first win, Carter knew victory was his in a desperate lunge at the line.

“This is massive,” Carter said.

“I just love coming out and running here — there’s such a buzz and you get so fired-up.

“I had a feeling I was going to get up.

“I knew I had it when I crossed the line.”

Carter, aged 22, posted a winning time of 12.87 seconds with fastest qualifiers Mt Eliza’s Ben Weaver and New South Welshman Richard Hankin second and third in a near-blanket finish at Princes Park.

The Mornington sprinter was forced to work harder in his title defence, running off the tighter mark of 2.25m — last year he started on 5m.

He was backmarker of the entire $15,000 Gift field.

The Bruce Gulliver-trained athlete said he worked hard with his coach in the off-season to power off the shorter start.

Their initial aim was to make the Maryborough Gift final after a disappointing show at Woodside a fortnight earlier in the Victorian Athletic League season.

Carter emphatically won the first heat and was a narrow second to Weaver in the semi-final, but worked the soft, uphilll track to his advantage in the Gift final.

Ballarat sported three runners in the eight-man final.

Simon Menz won his way through in emphatic style, topping his Gift heat and semi-final.

Menz ran in the lane next to his trainer Rob Lehmann, who won heat seven and claimed a spot in the final as a fast qualifier from the semi-finals.

Ballarat-trained Bros Kelly battled ankle pain in the heats but qualified for the semis, in which he ran a strong second to Menz.

Kelly, who hails from the Mornington Peninsula, had Carter wary.

“It was such a quality field with guys like Bros and (Richard Hankin), who ran second in the Stawell Gift (in 2008) and Nick Magree in the final,” Carter said.

“...I won the Peninsula Gift off three metres a month ago and had a good hit-out with Bros there, he was second.”

The myotherapist and part-time Bunnings worker will not attempt a double this weekend, instead opting to miss today’s Daylesford Gift and rest.

Carter will return to base training and focus on sprint events at the national track and field championships.

But we can expect to see him out in force at the Stawell and Ballarat gifts in late April.